1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a scale that measures an individual's body mass and related health risk factors. The scale and its output are also color-coded for added simplicity.
2. Description of the Related Art
Devices that measure health factors such as body fat are an example of the sophisticated measurements and data that are used in determining the health of a particular person. Basic personal data such as height, weight, age and gender can be combined with other types of data, such as the fat mass index and the bioelectrical impedance measuring unit, and can be used to measure the overall health of a person. Devices that obtain and calculate this type of health data have also become more sophisticated and are reflected in the related art.
U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2002/0049546 published on Apr. 25, 2002, outlines the use of an apparatus that provides an easy to understand representation of fat tissue and lean tissue in the body constitution of a subject. The apparatus calculates an index body fat mass, a fat mass index, a lean mass index and a body mass index from entered body data and measured bioelectric impedance.
U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2002/0062090 published on May 23, 2002, outlines the use of an apparatus and method for measuring the body fat of a live subject. The apparatus has a current source connected in parallel with two or more reference resistors and the subject's body. The connections to the body are made via an array of electrodes. The resistors and the subject's body are switched in and out of the circuit and the various voltages across the resistors and the body are detected by a voltage drop measuring device and are input into an analog-to-digital converter.
U.S. Patent Application Publication Number 2004/0035611 published on. Feb. 26, 2004, outlines the use of a body weight managing apparatus with a body weight measuring unit, a bioelectric impedance measuring unit, a body water content evaluation unit and a health condition evaluation unit. According to the apparatus, the body weight measure unit measures the body weight of a person to be measured and the bioelectric impedance measuring unit applies an alternating current to the body of the person and measures a bioelectric impedance value.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,866,699 issued to Soehnle et al. on Feb. 18, 1975, outlines the use of a scale that has a platform for a person to be weighed and an indicator, which shows the actual weight of the person on a dial while indicating the magnitude of deviation of the actually determined weight from the ideal weights associated with respective different body heights.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,113,039 issued to Ozaki et al. on Sep. 12, 1978, outlines the use of a body weight measuring apparatus, wherein various conditioning data, such as the height, sex and the like of a person to be measured is adapted to be included in advance and a determination is adapted to be made of the relativity of the measured body weight with the standard body weight.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,879 issued to Dubow on Nov. 24, 1981, outlines the use of a body weight scale system with a historical display. The system includes a transducer for generating a succession of digital weight signals representative of a user's body weight at a succession of points in time. The system further includes a data entry device, which provides time signals representative of the points in time associated with the various weight signals.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,447 issued to Northcutt on Mar. 9, 1982, outlines the use of an electronic digital readout diet scale for measuring and displaying weight information. A microcomputer is used to enable a dieter to enter a diet program having an objective weight and a given time interval. The scale will indicate the amount of weight to be lost or gained in order to achieve the objective weight as well as the deviation between the current weight and the projected weight according to the diet program.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,873 issued to Levy et al. on Jan. 4, 1983, outlines the use of an electronic scale for use in a weight control program in which the weighing histories and desired weight goals for each of a number of individuals are stored. A microprocessor assembles two types of messages, at least one informational and at least one psychologically reinforcing, from stored message components in accordance with the identified individual's stored weighing history and stored desired weight goal.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,792 issued to Cowan on Jan. 3, 1984, outlines the use of an electric scale apparatus, which provides weight control information and a method of controlling weight, which employs a scale apparatus. The apparatus has a scale member for measuring the weight of a person at a selected point in time. An electrical signal is generated in response to the measured weight. The apparatus further includes a memory for storing weight information, which may include a base weight introduced previously into the memory. The apparatus includes an electric circuit in which the generated signal is processed so that the weight of the person at the selected point in time can be compared against the base weight.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,577,710 issued to Ruzumna on Mar. 25, 1986, outlines the use of an apparatus for promoting good health that has a personal weight scale provided with an information and message center for displaying messages to a user. The scale may be embodied in a standard version for providing standard messages based upon departure of measured weight from desired weight. In another embodiment, the scale is adapted to provide customized information related to a particular medical condition of the particular user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,015 issued to Fried et al. on Dec. 16, 1986, outlines the use of a weight monitoring system that provides a visual readout to compare an actual weight change in a patient undergoing a change of weight treatment against the elapsed time of treatment. In one embodiment, the actual weight loss is displayed in bar form against the elapsed time, also in bar form. In a second embodiment, the read-out uses a display screen for graphically displaying a chronological sequence of differences between a programmed weight change and an actual weight change.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,187 issued to Jabero on Jul. 4, 1989, outlines the use of an apparatus that will provide an individual with personal dietary information specifically tailored to the health needs of the particular individual. The individual will manually enter data pertaining to age, sex and height as well as the individual's dietary restrictions. Another embodiment of the invention includes determining the weight and the pulse rate of the individual during aerobic exercise.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,763,837 issued to Davignon et al. on Jun. 9, 1998, outlines the use of an apparatus and method for measuring the height and weight of human subjects using an electronic scale. The apparatus and method are also capable of calculating the surface area and body mass index and the percentile and weight for the age and sex of the subject.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,538,215 issued to Montagnino et al. on Mar. 25, 2003, outlines the use of an electronic digital bathroom scale, that is specifically programmed to provide a user's weight as well as personalized weight management information such as current weight, absolute as well as percentage change in weight, a graph of the minimum and maximum weight for the average person matching the user's profile and information about the number of calories that should be consumed in order to either maintain weight or lose one pound per week.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,621,013 issued to Tanida et al. on Sep. 16, 2003, outlines the use of a living body measuring device that stores the measured body weight value and bioelectrical impedance value as well as the personal body information set in the initial stage and compares the measured values with those stored values. The device also determines a current subject who is being measured by considering the most proximal values to be the data associated with the measured subject, thereby calculating a body-related index.
European Patent Application EP 1 092 388 granted to Komatsu et al. on Apr. 18, 2001, outlines the use of a body composition measuring apparatus based on bioelectrical impedance measurement. The person under test enters or sets the personal body information such as height, sex and age, while standing on the weight meter or scale. The apparatus measures the bioelectrical impedance and calculates the body fat percentage and the fat mass of the person being tested and displays the resultant value.
Although each of the outlined inventions are novel and non-obvious, what is really needed is a more simple device and with easy to understand data that can reflect the overall health of a person being evaluated (perhaps utilizing color-coding). If such a device is developed, it would be well-received in the marketplace and would meet a great current demand.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a color-coded body mass related risk factor scale solving the aforementioned problems is desired.